Broadfield
New member
I'm running the 48" Giesemann Aurora fixture... which is a T5/LED hybrid. It consists of four 48" T5 bulbs and three arrays of LED boards.
Broadfield's Red Sea Reefer 450 Build
- Thread starter Broadfield
- Start date
I'm running the 48" Giesemann Aurora fixture... which is a T5/LED hybrid. It consists of four 48" T5 bulbs and three arrays of LED boards.
Chrisrush
New member
I keep seeing other's "see-through" tanks and love the illusion of depth it provides when it's up against a lightly painted wall. I said "F it" and yanked the black film off the back of my Reefer lol. I only had two concerns before doing it: 1) I really didn't want to see cables hanging down the back... would kind of defeat the purpose of doing it and 2) is it going to look goofy with the black overflow still in place. I figured out a way to hide the powerhead cables and light fixture cables... so I went for it. I knew there was nothing I could really do about the overflow being black. But I came up with an easy and slick way to hide the powerhead cables going down the back.
IMG_6805 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
For the light fixture, I simply routed the cables along the backside of the fixture, then dropped the cables down behind the overflow. For the powerheads, I bought some aluminum 90 degree stock, cut to length and then painted them black. Since the Reefer series use black silicone for the seams, the painted black aluminum blends right in... it basically forms a cap around the end of the tank. I simply double stuck the aluminum trim to the corner of the tank and left just enough space for the powerhead cable to pressure fit inside. It also allows me to just pull the cable right out for powerhead cleaning etc.
IMG_6802 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
IMG_6803 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr
Smart, very smart. I was thinking of doing this on my tank but it is painted black.
Broadfield
New member
It should be pretty obvious. One of the cables will have a wall plug on the end... that simply plugs into an outlet. The other two will have intermediate cables that plug into the power supplies(you have two of them) first, then from the power supplies into the outlets. There's no way you can mess it up. Mine only had 2 cables(one of each) since it's a 48" and only has 3 LED boards.
Thanks. Yea mine appears to be quite different. I do have 2 power adapters that are simple enough to plug into the wires coming from the unit. These power adapters are listed at 100-240vac, 50/60hz, 2A for input. So these I figure can plug right in the wall. There is a third cable that looks like a standard grounded plug that has a sticker saying !!Attention!! 230V 60Hz.
The unit came with a step up transformer that has a input side that is selectable and an output side for either 110v or 220v. I assume that I select 110v on the input side and then plug the !!Attention!! 230V cable into the 220V output side. Then plug the transformer in the wall outlet using the adapter provided.
Broadfield
New member
Thanks!
Oh wow, that is different. I would contact whomever you bought it from if you are in question. Or Coral Vue... they import them.
Thanks Broadfield. I already spoke with the LFS and they were not sure. So Ill give CoralVue a try. Appreciate the help.
Your tank is very inspiring and was the last bit I needed to pull the trigger and purchase one. Been out of reefing for 15 years. And now I'm back...wow how things have changed.
Broadfield
New member
Well I really appreciate that man! I was actually out of the hobby for about 20 years and just got back into it about 2-3 years ago.... YES, a lot has changed!
In the middle of 525xl build myself. Got some great ideas from you! Hoping to do something similar with dosing, light ballasts, and all Apex stuff in my side cabinet. Love how you did it.
What did you use for the black shelf. Looks kind of like black painted plywood. Did you make it?
What did you use for the black shelf. Looks kind of like black painted plywood. Did you make it?
Curious what brought you back to the hobby?
Broadfield
New member
I honestly don't remember. I think I may have just gotten a wild hair up my you know what. I definitely dove right back in full force though.
Figured out the shelf question I asked above by reading through the entire thread. Went and got some rubbermaid shelves today. A couple more questions for you: I really like you shelf on hinges idea. The angled shelf looks so cool and hiding the power supplies when down is a great idea. So my questions are:
#1 I can see from the pics that the hinged shelf rests on that front/lower shelf/panel. When the shelf is up how do you get it to lock in and stay in that position? Can't figure that one out.
#2 That front removable panel that the hinged shelf sits on when it is down, how do you secure that in place?
This tank build #4 for me and I am downsizing. I have always had issues with cord management and yours looks so clean and orgizined. Hoping to do something very similar.
#1 I can see from the pics that the hinged shelf rests on that front/lower shelf/panel. When the shelf is up how do you get it to lock in and stay in that position? Can't figure that one out.
#2 That front removable panel that the hinged shelf sits on when it is down, how do you secure that in place?
This tank build #4 for me and I am downsizing. I have always had issues with cord management and yours looks so clean and orgizined. Hoping to do something very similar.
Broadfield
New member
I'm sorry man, I totally forgot to answer your shelf question. I'm on vacation and not completely focused lol.
The bottom removable panel is simply pressure fit into place. FWIW, here is the cut list of the four panels... the fourth being the back wall where my power supplies are mounted:
Top panel: 9-3/4" x 18-29/32"
Middle panel: 11-3/4" x 18-29/32"
Bottom panel: 9-3/4" x 18-29/32"
Back panel: 11-3/4" x 24"
To hold up the middle hinged panel, I simply used a slide bolt latch like this:
I ditched the loop that comes with it and simply drilled a hole on the interior side panel of the cabinet for the bolt to slide into. The hole only needs to be 1/4" deep or so. You can then just use some touchup paint to paint the raw wood inside of the hole.
Broadfield
New member
No problem, just let me know if you have any other questions.
I just put together my manifold with the standard size Aquamaxx reactors and I used 1/2" threaded male to slip adapter. Fit perfectly. There is a nut on the inside of the lid that comes off easily to take off the elbows it comes with.
Similar threads
